Through This Intricate Dance
by Sassy Aloo
Summary: In a far off universe, Zack once said to Sora 'Follow my steps.' No one ever imagined the way it would come to pass.
1. Why?

**Warnings:** Angst, death, another confusing plot. I seem to like those.

**Pairings:** You'll see.

**Sassy's Note:** Well, here's the prologue to the thing I mentioned at the end of Follow My Steps.

**Through This Intricate Dance**

It was déjà vu.

A horrible, horrible sense of déjà vu.

Sora smiled through the blood and held his Keyblade up to Riku. The silvered teen took it, face twisted in emotion.

When Sora uttered a few parting words, Cloud had to turn away. He _couldn't_ relive this. He shut his eyes tightly behind a wall of matted blond spikes.

His chest squeezed painfully and emotionally at Riku's scream of anguish. Somewhere in his mind, the scream was echoed with one of his own.

Long ago and far away that had been _him_.

His eyes burned when he looked over his shoulder at the boy.

Riku was standing now, holding the Keyblade that was not his own. He looked up to the sky, and Cloud saw the same expression on the boy's face that had been on his years ago.

He heard Riku mutter his own parting words to the rainy sky, blood – though not his – smeared on his hands and face.

Sora lay still on his back in the red puddles of water.

He was smiling.

This was no coincidence.

This was the past replayed.

This was hell.

---

That was one year ago.

_To be continued…_

**Sassy:** God, what is my thing with killing Sora off?

Just so you all know, this one will ALWAYS be on the backburner. Sorry, but I have school work and things I'd rather get a jump on other than this. It will be short, but it will be intense. I'm expecting the chapters to be way longer than my usual. Like, way, _way_ longer.

Anyway, people/things you may blame for this: Honors Physics class, Crisis Core, Jediempress, Final Fantasy VIII, me, and cookies.

Yeah, I know it's short, but if it intrigued you just a bit, please leave a review.


	2. Passion

**Sassy's Note:** Here we go. Get ready to be confused! 8D

**Through This Intricate Dance**

**Passion**

Riku stretched his arms high over his head. With a content sigh, he flopped back down onto the shady grass. This, he decided, was nice and he could certainly live with it. Putting a public park - complete with real grass and real trees - in the middle of Radiant Garden had been a royal pain in the butt, but it was worth it all. The eighteen-year-old was more than happy to laze the day away.

Too bad someone wasn't willing to let him.

Riku's eyes flew open when a heavy boot thudded inches from his right ear. "Up you get, Quicksilver."

The teen glared up into blue mako eyes. "I thought today was my day off."

"No such luck. Come on."

With a roll of his eyes and half a grin, Riku leapt to his feet in one solid and graceful movement. "You're no fun, Cloud."

The blond man scoffed. "Not when there's something that has to be done."

"Guh. Don't tell me it's meaningless labor. Is Leon on another rampage?"

"Actually, you'll find this interesting."

Riku's eyebrows rose, intrigued. "Really? What's going on?"

"You'll see," replied Cloud with a strange glint in his eye Riku had come to know too well. With a grin, the teen didn't pursue the subject, but followed the older man out of the park.

It was a nice morning, and both Riku and Cloud were in a good mood. They wandered together down the street, passing people who wished them good morning. They passed Aerith's and the woman waved at them.

"Where are you two off to?"

"He won't tell me," said Riku, jerking his head at Cloud, who smirked. Aerith smiled.

"How rude of him. Here, take some cookies." She handed him a small knapsack. "And good luck!"

"Good luck?" Riku asked as Cloud steered him away. He eyed the blond. "Does _she_ know?"

Cloud didn't respond, but his lips quirked again. Riku scowled and dug a cookie out of the small bundle Aerith had given him. They were his favorite, chocolate peanut butter, and he eagerly bit into it. Oh, but it was so good…

The teen noticed Cloud looking at him expectantly. He snorted with a mouthful of cookie. "Keep dreaming. These cookies are _mine_."

"Actually," Cloud said smugly. "Take a closer look."

Riku again raised an eyebrow at the older man before looking back down at the little pouch, and he noticed a little note resting inside with the cookies.

_Don't forget to share with Cloud. He'll pout if you don't. – Aerith_

With an amused snicker, Riku conceded and handed Cloud a cookie.

"She knows us too well."

Cloud hummed in agreement.

The two had almost finished off the small pouch of cookies when they reached the marketplace. Riku tucked the small knapsack of leftover goodies into his pocket and looked around.

"Uh, Cloud? Is someone supposed to be here?"

The blond man just smirked and leaned against the wall of the nearby accessory store. Riku huffed indignantly at being ignored and crossed his arms. He hated when Cloud went all mystery-man on him, which lately tended to be a lot. Riku wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

They stood there for what felt like an hour – though it was probably no longer than five minutes – until the silvered teen couldn't stand it anymore.

"Cloud, what are doing here?" he asked, half expecting the man not to answer, but going to go crazy if he didn't.

"Waiting for someone," the blond responded, not so much as opening his eyes.

"Who?"

"Shush. You'll see in a bit."

"Jerk," Riku muttered under his breath. He was sure by the way Cloud's lips quirked that he had heard him, but the blond didn't say anything. Fine. Let him be that way. Jerk…

It was another hour – five minutes – until finally the someone Cloud mentioned arrived. Riku felt a presence heading for them, and he looked around.

"Nice to see you, Riku."

Said teen whirled around, eye fixing on the newcomer. "Your Majesty!"

King Mickey grinned up at him. "How have you been?"

"Great!" said Riku with a smile. "Things are all good with me."

'Then I supposed you're up for a little trip?"

Riku's eyes visibly brightened, and Cloud chuckled. "A trip? To where?"

"Twilight Town," said the King with a smile.

"Twilight Town? Why?"

"Minor Heartless problem. We just need you to find the source and exterminate them all."

The teen grinned. He hadn't been to Twilight Town in ages. "Heartless extermination? I'm on it!"

Mickey nodded. "Thought you might like that."

"Oh yeah. When do I leave?"

"Just as soon as you grab your partner," said the mouse.

Riku blinked. "Partner?"

Cloud stepped forward then. "The Keybrat," he said.

Riku grinned at that. "You mean the _other_ Keybrat?"

"No. You're not a brat." The blond looked at King Mickey. "Thanks for dropping by. Leon's working in the Bailey. I'll be there as soon as I get them on their way." The mouse nodded, a serious look forming on his face.

Cloud turned to Riku. "Let's go, Quicksilver." He walked away.

Riku said a hasty goodbye to the King over his shoulder and ran to catch up with Cloud. "Do you even know where he is?"

"At Scrooge's when I was on my way to get you. He can't have gone far."

"Not if ice cream's involved," said Riku with a slight grin. Cloud snorted his agreement.

It didn't take them long to reach Scrooge's, and while they didn't see the boy they were looking for there, the tell-tale clacks and smacks of a skateboard on pavement told them they were going the right way.

Sure enough, a blur of tan and black sped past them. Some of the younger kids watched in awe as the skateboarder grinded his board across the long balcony then landed easily on the street below.

Cloud snorted at this show and waved his hand in a way that said clearly to Riku, "Get him." With another grin, he obliged the older blond. The boy had stopped on high ledge to lick at his melting ice cream. Riku smirked up at his longtime friend, pulling the few left over cookies out of his pocket and tossing them as hard as he could at the boy.

He caught them without so much as blinking and peered down at Riku. "What?" he asked, pocking the small bundle and nibbling diligently at his ice cream.

"We got a mission," said Riku. He really hoped the other would concede without argument. It had been awhile since they had fought together, and he was eager to channel some of his energy.

A blond eyebrow rose. "Really? What kind of mission?"

"Heartless extermination. We're off to Twilight Town."

This seemed to perk the boy's interested, for he kicked his skateboard away and leapt down to Riku. It was only then that he noticed Cloud standing a little ways back. He smirked. "Hey, Cloud."

"Hey, Roxas," Cloud snorted disdainfully. It wasn't that the two didn't like each other. There had always just been an air of… _something_ between them, and whatever that something was, it wasn't exactly friendly.

"Twilight Town, huh?" asked Roxas, finishing off the last vestiges of his ice cream. "I'm up for it. Let's go."

"Glad to hear it, because you're leaving now," said Cloud. He jerked his head in the direction of the gummi garage. "Come on."

"What's the hurry?" Roxas asked.

"We're not sure how urgent the situation is, but it may be critical. Better safe than sorry."

Riku didn't miss the strained edge to the older blond's voice. He frowned and raised an eyebrow at him when Cloud began walking to the garage. Roxas followed, obviously either not noticing or not caring about any change in the man. It didn't sit well with Riku, though. He'd be sure to talk to Cloud later.

They arrived at the gummi garage a few minutes later and Cloud watched from the loading dock as the two strapped themselves in. "Take your time and make sure you get to the problem," he said.

Roxas gave a bored thumbs-up, and Riku nodded, tapping coordinates into the control panel. "To Twilight Town we go," said the silvered teen. He shot a grin at Cloud. "See you when we get back."

Cloud nodded stoically, and as the gummi gained power and lifted off the metal floor, he took a step back. Riku kept an eye on him as they lifted out of the garage. He would have kept watching him, but Roxas revved the engines, and the gummi shot off into gummi space, taking them away from Radiant Garden.

---

The drive to Twilight Town would take barely twenty minutes, and with the gummi on autopilot, Riku and Roxas had the time free. Roxas was content to stare out of the window at the rapidly passing space, but Riku felt restless. He shifted around in his seat before giving up on that and wandering aimlessly around the ship.

"Bored, are you?" Roxas questioned him idly, chin propped upon a hand.

"Restless," Riku replied, cracking his knuckles.

"Eager for a fight?"

"That's probably it." He looked wistfully out of the window. "I haven't been to Twilight Town in awhile."

"Me neither."

"Talked to Hayner and the guys recently?"

Roxas shrugged. "A few times on the Net, yeah. Not recently, though."

"Maybe because of the Heartless." Riku paused in his pacing. "Where do you think the Heartless are coming from?"

"My guess would be the mansion. We never did seal the path to the World That Never Was.

"Good point." Riku glanced out of the window. "There are still plenty of Heartless roaming there. They must have broken through the Betwixt and Between."

"And broken Axel's defenses," said Roxas. "His hold was supposed to last forever, though."

Riku winced at Axel's name. The Nobody's sacrifice was the reason he had succeeded in saving Kingdom Hearts years ago. He owed Axel his life.

"Maybe they made another path," he said. "I doubt they could break Axel's hold."

"Axel wasn't exactly sane when he made that barrier." Roxas crossed his arms. "I don't know if I'd trust a depraved man to make a proper barrier anyway."

Riku spluttered at his best friend. "Axel wasn't _depraved_! And he wasn't insane!"

"What do you call it then?" Roxas scoffed.

"He was… just tired! He spent months and _months_ running from the Organization!"

"And looking for _someone_, but he never told you who that was… he was insane."

"It was none of my business who he was after," Riku growled. "And it doesn't matter if he was insane – which he wasn't – because he saved my life. And yours, or have you forgotten?"

Roxas rolled his eyes. "He covered for me with his boss. Whatever."

Riku glared at the blond teen. "Let's just drop it," he muttered after a moment. Roxas grunted, and they fell into silence for the rest of the ride.

Roxas was wrong. Axel was perfectly sane. Riku didn't know what Roxas had against Axel, but the blond had always had a certain hostility to the redhead's memory. Maybe something had happened when Roxas was running around hiding from Riku all those years ago. He'd have to find out some time.

---

"Damn." Roxas let a low whistle. "This place is practically abandoned."

"Notice anything damaged?" Riku asked, carefully treading forward, Keyblade out.

"No." The blond looked around. "Got a really creepy feeling, though."

"Me too." Riku swung his Keyblade once. "Let's head for the mansion. That's our best bet."

Roxas nodded, and they carefully made their way through the deserted streets. Nothing was out of place or destroyed; there was just no one to be found. When they reached the woods, that feeling of uneasy became quite a bit stronger. Roxas gripped his Keyblades tighter. Still, nothing jumped at them, and they saw no sign of anything resembling a Heartless – or a person.

"The gates are open," said Roxas as they approached the front of the mansion. The blond's eyes narrowed. "They've always been closed when I was here."

"What do you think that means? Or is it just a coincidence?"

"I don't know." Roxas reached out the tip of a Keyblade and prodded the gate. It creaked a little.

"That's just a little bit spooky," Riku commented.

"It was spookier when this place was crawling with Nobodies."

"The Nobodies themselves were spooky, especially the way they moved."

"And that little hissing noise they made."

"Heartless did that too."

"Not as creepy as the Nobodies."

"Well, yeah, but the Heartle- … Focus, Roxas!"

"… you're an idiot."

Riku glared at the blond for a moment then strode forward bravely.

Once inside the mansion, they proceeded carefully. There was no hint of anything, though. No Nobodies. No Heartless. While they didn't see anything, something still wasn't right. Riku noticed Roxas shaking his head and blinking rapidly.

"Rox?" he asked, coming to a stop.

"Dizzy…" was the strained reply. "What's going on here?"

"No idea. Need some help?"

"No. I'm fine."

Riku didn't push the issue; Roxas was a stubborn one. The silvered teen instead walked ahead of his friend as a sort of guide. Just in case something did attack them while Roxas was still suffering vertigo.

All the way to the library, they saw nothing. Roxas still swayed slightly, scowling in frustration, holding either Keyblade out from his sides to guide him, and while Riku felt fine, he was still exceedingly uneasy about this place. They descended the once-hidden steps into the lab beneath the mansion. Nothing was in the computer room, so the pair continued onto the room beyond, where the portal to The World That Never Was waited.

Roxas glanced around, patience running out, and when he saw nothing, he made to turn around, but Riku caught him.

"Wait! Roxas, look!"

The blond peered past the silvered teen's shoulder. There was a lone Heartless, a Shadow, creeping its way to the small void that led to the world beyond. Through there was the place Axel's sacrifice had been made.

"Why would it be going back?" Roxas asked quietly into his ear. Riku shrugged.

"Let's just follow it."

They did so, staying nearly silent so not to alert the creature to their presence. It slipped into the circular void, and they slipped in after it.

The Betwixt and Between looked just as Riku remembered it. The feeling of standing on swirling energy was still there, and Riku noticed his sense of unease vanish.

Axel's presence was still here.

Roxas straightened up beside Riku, and the silvered teen assumed his dizziness had left him. Indeed, the blond's eyes were trained acutely on the small Heartless. It crept its way toward The World That Never Was, but halfway there, it stopped, squirming on the spot. Then it vanished, tendrils of darkness swirling after it.

"It's gone," Riku said, bemused. Roxas clucked his tongue.

"I noticed. Looks like Axel's barrier's still here." The boy's gaze traveled to the other end of the tunnel of swirling energy. "So the Heartless aren't coming from here."

"But where _are_ they coming from?"

"We haven't seen but the one Heartless in this mansion," said Roxas, twirling Oblivion around his hand. "Maybe we should look somewhere else."

"Tell that to your vertigo, Rox," said Riku with a shake of his head. "There has to be a reason for these bad vibes." Roxas grunted in acknowledgement.

"Okay. But where to now?"

"Let's just explore around a bit."

They did just that, searching the computer room first. They were keen to make sure the computer – smashed as it was – did not have anything running that could be mass-producing Heartless. Hey, it had happened before. The computer was sufficiently dead, though. No way could it have anything to do with it.

They headed for the White Room next, and halfway there, Roxas' dizziness returned. He cursed, clutching Riku's shoulder for only a moment to regain his balance. The older teen paused to allow his friend to steady himself, and when the younger blond pushed himself away, they proceeded to the White Room.

It looked exactly as Riku remembered it. Abstract, brightly colored pictures hung on the wall and were scattered about the floor haphazardly. The silvered teen had never been able to make sense of these pictures. Most involved three figures, all in black, one with red hair, another with yellow hair, and the last with brown hair. This last one was always blurred more than the other two. Riku knew Naminé had kept many secrets. He wondered what they all could be.

"Not a damn thing in here," Roxas growled, hand to his forehead. "Let's just go somewhere else."

Riku cast a sympathetic look at Roxas. "Okay… we'll get out of here for awhile, Rox. You go on ahead, I'll check around here real quick."

The other boy snorted, muttered, "No point…", then left the room, teetering slightly as he pushed the door open. Riku shook his head, discouraged. He really had wanted to get this over with and get back to Radiant Garden.

With a sigh, he carefully moved about the room. Roxas was right. Nothing was here. He left the White Room and checked around in the main part of the mansion. Still there was nothing, so the silvered teen finally conceded and exited the mansion to find his friend.

Roxas was hovering around by the gate, still rubbing at his temples.

"Still feel dizzy?" Riku asked as he approached him.

"Headache now because I was dizzy," said the blond with a scowl.

"We can afford to rest for a bit. After that… maybe we should try to find Hayner and the guys. They may know something."

"Sure." Roxas sounded distracted. With a wave of his hands, both of his Keyblades disappeared, and he turned to the forest. With a sympathetic grin at his back, Riku followed him.

They were just inside the woods when Riku heard the snap a twig from behind them. He whirled around and was staring at a hoard of Heartless.

"ROXAS!" he yelled, hand tightening around his Keyblade's hilt. The blond spun around at his friend's voice, cursing when saw the massive group of Heartless too. In seconds, his Keyblades were again in his hands and he was running back toward them.

Riku raised the Kingdom Key and charged forward.

---

"Do you think it was a good idea to send them to Twilight Town?" Leon asked, arms crossed over his chest and brow furrowed.

"Yes. Maybe this will trigger the memories hidden deep inside the both of them." King Mickey paced around. "The only question is, what if it doesn't?"

"It's worth the try." Leon lifted his head and looked in Cloud's direction. The blond looked disturbed. He didn't need to ask why.

Instead, he looked back to the King. "Do you know what is causing the Heartless problem?"

"They're originating in the mansion. In the pod room, to be exact."

"The pod room?" the scarred man asked, alarm bells going off in his head.

Mickey nodded. "Energy channels have started appearing randomly. Only… they're not so random."

"What do you mean?" Cloud spoke up, mako eyes hardening.

"One is located in the pod room of the mansion. This one is giving the Heartless a gateway. There is another one in the World That Never Was, in what the Organization referred to as the Proof of Existence. This one has become a gateway for the Nobodies."

"Makes sense…" Leon murmured.

"There's another in the Collesuim," King Mickey continued. "This one is really doing nothing, save for crackling at anyone who gets too close. It's causing a bit a stir during the tournaments."

"Is that all?"

"No. There are five total, so far. There is another on Destiny Islands."

"And? Is it doing anything?"

"Not as far as we can tell. It's on the islet away from the people, so it's cause no harm."

"And the last one?" Cloud asked, fixing Mickey with a penetrating stare. The mouse king sighed.

"The last one… is on The Planet. Just outside of Midgar."

Cloud's hands fisted in his hair.

---

Riku was panting hard. He'd never taken on that many Heartless at once. The last Neoshadow fell to Roxas' Oathkeeper, and the battle was finally over.

"What the fuck?" Roxas raged, Keyblades still being jerked around in anger. "Where did they all come from?"

Riku shook his head, doubling over and coughing. "They… came from behind us," he gasped. "From the… mansion."

Roxas looked toward the mansion, blue eyes hardening like ice. "Fine. We're taking care of this now. Let's go."

The silvered teen nodded and straightened up, still holding his Keyblade tight. Together, he and Roxas broke out into a run toward the mansion.

"Where could we not have checked?" Roxas asked as they passed the gate.

"I think there's a room past that portal to the World That Never Was. Worth a try?"

Roxas nodded, and they burst through the mansion's doors again.

---

"Why now?" Cloud demanded through gritted teeth. "They haven't even started getting their real memories back."

Mickey seemed unaffected by the blond's anger and shook his head. "They're not the only two in this."

"They're the only two that are still alive," he snarled back. Leon rested a hand on his friend's shoulder, but it was shrugged off.

"Maybe so," said the mouse. "But that does not mean that the other two should get no say in how and what happens now."

"Oh?" Cloud arched an eyebrow sarcastically. "Are we going to have ghosts walking around now with our amnesia victims?"

"Cloud," Leon said gently. "Calm down. Do you really think that Sor-"

"Don't you DARE say their names!"

---

"Through here?" Roxas asked, approaching the far door from the void of energy.

"Yeah," said Riku, following him. There had been no more Heartless, but the feeling was still with Riku, and though he didn't know for sure if Roxas' vertigo had returned, _something_ was fueling his friend's anger.

Roxas lead the way through and into the room beyond. There was nothing really in here, some loose and torn wires hanging from the ceiling, but nothing of interest. Roxas plowed through some debris, though, and headed around the bend to the area beyond. Riku stayed right behind him.

The door before them gave and they rushed into the room beyond.

It was a dark place, and Riku immediately knew they had found the right spot. Every hair on the back of his neck stood on end. He could hear creatures moving in the darkness just beyond his range of sight in the darkness. Roxas cursed loudly, stumbling backward.

"Found it," he breathed quietly and slowly. "We have to get out of here, seal it off or something. We can't fight the things in here."

Riku nodded. "Let's seal all the doors in the mansion. We can talk to the King about it. He'll know what to do."

"Right." Roxas slowly raised Oblivion and took several steps backwards, Riku following suit.

---

_"The channels are opening everywhere now?"_

_"Yeah."_

_"Why?"_

_"There's a disturbance in the worlds."_

_"Are we causing it?"_

_"__Ehh__… __kinda__, but it's not our fault."_

_"O…__kay__… W__hat exactly are the energy channels?"_

_"A mix__ture__ of the v__oid__ th__at makes up gummi space and the __L__ifestream__."_

_"__So__o__o__…?"_

_"You know what that means, kiddo."_

---

In a flurry of movement, Riku and Roxas jumped back out of the room. The creatures lurched after them, claws reaching out, teeth snapping, but the two were already out and raising their Keyblades to seal the door. The two beams of light connected, then spread over the door, creating a barrier. When the two of them could no longer hear the creatures on the other side, they lowered their weapons and looked at each other.

"I think it's time to report back to Radiant Garden," said Riku, tucking a lock of hair behind his ear.

"I'd say so."

"First, let's seal these doors too."

When every door in the mansion leading to that back room – including the front doors and the gate to the building – had been locked by their Keyblades, they turned their back to it. Nothing jumped out at them in the woods this time, and Riku felt better about the situation now that the Heartless were locked inside. He glanced over at Roxas, whose face was passive.

"How you feeling, Rox?"

"Good. It's funny... when we stepped into that room I felt better."

"Despite death-by-Heartless staring you in the face?"

"Yeah."

"Me too," Riku conceded, folding his arms behind his head. He shot a grin at Roxas, who just shrugged and smirked a little.

Their way to the gummi ship was – again – uninterrupted by anyone or anything, but Riku felt sure that with the bad vibes from the place gone, the people would return to the streets before too long.

As the pair of them got settled into the gummi ship and shot off into gummi space, Riku's mind wandered. What would have caused that mass amount of Heartless to congregate in the mansion? He had learned from personal experience that anything having to do with Heartless or Nobodies was never random. He would just have to King Mickey about it. After all, the King was the one who knew about the Heartless problem in the first place.

They touched down in Radiant Garden's gummi garage less than half an hour later and were surprised to find no one waiting for them. Roxas looked around and snorted.

"Thanks for being concerned, guys. We really appreciate it."

Riku tilted his head to the side. "Maybe something came up here?" he suggested.

Roxas made a noise in the back of his throat.

"Oh, come on," said the older teen. "Let's go find them. We need to talk to the King."

The blond let himself be dragged off by his older friend, though he didn't seem happy about it. The duo passed the marketplace and Merlin's house and the park, but they still did not find the men they were looking for.

It was only when they had reached the Postern that they heard voices, raised voice.

Roxas' eyebrow arched sardonically in the direction of the commotion. Riku's brow furrowed, confused as to why any of them would possibly be angry, but as they got closer, the voices became more distinguishable, and they were most definitely angry.

"Cloud, we understand why you're so concerned, but we have to let things play out," came Leon's voice of forced calm.

"We _know_ how things are going to play out! This _has happened_ before, or are none of you listening to me?" Cloud raged.

"We do know," Aerith's gentle voice said. "And that's why we can't do anything. You had to work it out for yourself. Riku has to as well."

Roxas' eyes settled on Riku again as the silvered teen paused for a moment. They were talking about him?

"We can prevent making him go through that," Cloud ground out, sounding as if he'd like to punch something. Hard.

"Not if this really is the past replayed," said Leon.

"Everything is progressing just the way it did years ago," King Mickey's voice finally piped up. "But I have a feeling the outcome will be different. There is no reason for it to happen now. Our world is not currently in danger."

"Unless the channels of energy get out of hand," Leon said.

The voices were silent for a moment. Riku and Roxas were getting closer. Then…

"It's going to kill him when he remembers," said Cloud quietly.

"Riku's strong," said Aerith. "I'm sure he can pull through."

"This is true," said the King. "It would not have happened to Riku if he couldn't handle it."

They heard Cloud snort. "Fate has a cruel sense of humor that way sometimes."

"Cloud…"

"Shut the fuck up, Leonhart. You don't know what it's like… not knowing what is your life and what was his, and feeling the pain when you remember what it was like when he died, and still not even sure if your mind is making that up or not." The blond's voice rose with every word.

Aerith spoke words of comfort that neither Riku nor Roxas could make out, but it only fueled Cloud's near-hysteria some more.

"And then Riku will finally be able to tell between the two of them, but then what about Roxas!?"

"Cloud, calm down!" Leon said loudly, just as Riku and Roxas reached the area where they were. The duo stared at the sight before them, mouths slightly open. King Mickey looked upset, as did Aerith. Leon's face was red with frustration, and Cloud's hands were gripping at his blond spikes frantically.

"Roxas is part of Sora! Roxas _is_ Sora!!"

Sora… Riku was overcome with a feeling of… déjà vu?

"Sora?" he spoke up after a moment of silence. Every head swiveled in his direction, four sets of eyes wide.

"Who's Sora?"

_To be continued…_

**Sassy:** Whee, lots of fuuun. … I am never listening to the song Passion ever again… or writing anything… ever again. Or at least for a few days. Heh heh.

So? Whatcha think? Want some more? Then leave a review.


	3. Four Seasons

**Sassy's Note:** I found this one even more fun than the last. Someone stop me…

**Through This Intricate Dance**

**Four Seasons**

Riku fixed Cloud with a penetrating star, but the blond kept his back to the younger man. The teen had managed to hold in his burning questions the whole walk home, and he was bursting to ask him now.

Cloud cast a glance at him over his shoulder as he made tea. Riku narrowed his eyes when their gazes caught, and Cloud immediately turned away. The teenager sulkily crossed his arms and sunk lower in his seat. Cloud returned to his the table and set a hot mug in front of Riku and took the seat across from him, blowing gently on his own tea to cool it. He sipped nervously, pointedly avoiding the teen's gaze.

They carried on like this for about five minutes. Riku didn't touch his cooling tea; Cloud drained most of his. When Cloud didn't meet his eyes at all during this time, Riku decided he had had enough.

"Alright, that's enough," he huffed angrily. "Cloud, what's going on?"

Cloud trained his eyes on the table, fidgeting slightly.

"Fine. I'll start. Who's Sora and what is so important about him? What connection does he have to Roxas?"

Cloud took a deep breath, clutched his mug tightly between his hands for some form of reassurance, and looked up into Riku's cyan eyes. "I could answer all of your questions with no problem, Riku. I could, and then you would know, but I can't do that."

"What are you _talking_ about?"

Cloud's eyes flickered. "You have to remember on your own, Riku. I can't tell you. I can only help you remember."

"Remember what!?"

Despite the teen's frustration, Cloud forced himself to remain calm. Panicking wouldn't help; he knew what he had to do. So, with a pounding heart, he reached into his back pocket slowly and withdrew a slightly tattered old photograph. Riku's angry eyes gained a curious expression when he spotted the photo in Cloud's hands. The blond laid it face-up on the table and slowly pushed it toward Riku.

"Here."

Without hesitance, Riku reached for the photo. It was… who were these people? Was that him? No… his hair wasn't that long… and what the _hell_ was he wearing? Was that… a Keyblade in his hand? He'd never seen one like that before, though. That couldn't possibly be him! And that boy… the one standing beside him. Spiky brown hair, bright blue eyes… he was oddly familiar, and he was holding Riku's Keyblade. Maybe…

A splitting pain tore through his skull.

But it wasn't just pain that flashed across his mind… unbidden images and pictures and feeling formed like ripples in water, spreading to every part of his consciousness. When the voices started screaming in his head, he felt himself teeter on his seat as his hands flew to cover his eyes, and he was suddenly falling.

"_I'm not afraid of the Darkness!"_

"_Riku? What are you doing here?"_

"_You should be worrying… about her."_

"_I don't understand! It was mine!"_

"_Take care of her."_

"_What will happen to Roxas?"_

"_It's honor, Ansem."_

"_It's Riku… Riku's here…"_

"_I looked for you. I looked everywhere for you!"_

A cry tore its way past Riku's lips as the last words faded, taking the blurred images and feelings with it, and as the pain dulled slightly, he became aware that he was being held tightly by a warm body.

"You okay?" Cloud asked gruffly.

Riku's response was more garble than words. The emotions and memories had come flooding back to him. He wasn't… himself.

"Th-that picture," he gasped. "Who…?"

"That was you, Riku. One year ago."

"A year…"

Pain burst behind his eyelids again, and he cried out again, withdrawing into himself as if to hide from the pain, but this bout passed more quickly than the previous. When it was over, he slumped back against Cloud, gasping for breath, eyes swimming in tears of both pain and…

"A-a year? It's been a year since… Sora…"

"Yeah. It's been a year."

The teen in his arms went rigid, and Cloud reflexively tightened his hold and pulled the boy tighter to his chest protectively. The memories that were no doubt returning were painful in more ways than one, and even thought Cloud couldn't stand the thought of Riku in pain, he wouldn't abandon him now.

"How…" Riku started slowly, eyes still brimming with hot tears he refused to let fall, "How could I… why?" He stared at the floor, face completely blank. Then, quietly, "Who am I?"

_That_ one hurt Cloud deeply. The desolation in the teens voice, compounded by the fact that Cloud knew _exactly_ how he felt

"You're still Riku; you always have been. You just have to sort through the memories that are yours and the ones that are his."

"Sora's memories," Riku muttered. He let his forehead rest against Cloud's shoulder. "He… Sora's…"

"Sora died a year ago."

"A year? I've lived this… false life for a _year_?" The teen sounded disgusted, more angry than upset. He looked up, noticed the pained expression on Cloud's face, and asked softly, "Why?"

The total calm in the younger male's voice calmed Cloud as well, and the blond man sighed. His hand rubbed along Riku's back slowly. Still, it took a moment for the blond to open his mouth and answer. "Because… that's what happened to me long ago."

"It… happened to you?" Riku's eyes narrowed critically, and Cloud was left with the impression that Riku may have already caught onto this fact, even subconsciously. There was a time when they both had marveled over how fast they took to each, given their personalities, and the silvered teen was smart. He must have picked up on the unnatural nature of their relationship.

"Yes," the older man answered slowly. "The life and persona I took on… his name was… Zack."

"Zack?"

"Yeah. He was the SOLDIER 1st Class, not me…" A short, deep breath for reassurance. "The way Sora died… it was almost the exact same way Zack died, and – like me – you've taken on Sora's life and personality."

Riku took only a moment to process this. "Why?"

"I honestly don't know, Riku," Cloud sighed, tightening his arms around the teen for a brief moment. This was killing him.

"Where… where did Sora die?"

"Destiny Islands."

Riku's eyes grew distant and his head tilted downward. "I… want to go there."

"Okay."

Cloud had expected such a request. Nudging the teen softly, he rose to his feet, pulling the boy with him. His expression never changed; his bleary gaze was directed at the floor, bangs shadowing his eyes.

"And I'd like to go to where Zack… too."

Cloud nodded understandingly, hand tightening on Riku's shoulder. "We can leave right away."

--

Cloud watched Riku's face closely as the teen scanned his eyes over his home world. The blond didn't miss the way his face softened when it fell over the little cluster of houses; he assumed that was where Riku grew up. He also didn't miss the way those cyan eyes lingered on the small island in the distance.

"Cloud," he said softly. "That's where Sora died, isn't it?"

"Yes."

"Can we still get there by boat?"

"Possibly. The submerged wreckage might make it hard, but there's little debris left in the water." Cloud paused and trained his eyes on the teen. "Do you remember what happened?"

Riku shook his head. "No… I remember that island… as the island I used to play on when I was younger, not… that."

It was true. The island was a charred reminder of the tragedy that struck Destiny Islands barely a year ago. Luckily, it didn't reach the mainland, and Sora was able to save the day… but at the cost of his own life.

"Come on."

The pair made their way across the sandy beach to the dock. Yes, there was a single boat tied there, bobbing with the gentle waves. Riku paused and stared at it for only a moment before expertly climbing in and taking his seat. Cloud, hesitant, clambered in less gracefully.

There proved to be little difficulty getting to the island, hardly any bumps along the way, and only a few minutes after climbing into the boat, the pair was traipsing across the sand. While the island certainly wasn't what it used to be, the wreckage wasn't as cumbersome as Cloud imagined. It wasn't long before they had reached the spot.

On a tiny outcropping of land, accessible only by the wreckage of a broken bridge and a downward-elongated paopu tree, was a small patch of grass in an otherwise sandy stretch of ground. At the top of the patch was a small twig of a growing paopu tree with a single oversized leaf hanging off the top. It was a simple grave with a simple marker. Just the way Sora would have found appropriate.

Riku stared at the small tree, eyes hardening, no doubt being hit with more of his lost memories. Slowly, he extended his hand, and the Kingdom Key appeared there instantly.

"This… this isn't my Keyblade." He held it up and examined it. "It's Sora's…"

"That's right," said Cloud lowly.

The silvered teen stared at the Keyblade for another full minute before suddenly unclipping the keychain at the end of the weapon. Then, Riku hurled the Keyblade as hard as he could out toward the ocean. Cloud watched, very much surprised, as it splashed into the water and vanished from view. The blond slowly looked back to the teen, not exactly knowing what to expect. Riku was clutching the keychain tightly in his fist.

"I'll find my memories," he muttered, then knelt down next to the small paopu sapling and secured the trinket around it. When he again stood, his eyes remained fixed on the patch of grass that marked Sora's grave.

"Cloud?"

"Yeah?"

"Can we go see Zack now?"

With a nod, Cloud rested a gloved hand on Riku's shoulder and turned him away. After a brief incident with a crab that Cloud would later deny, the two were off and flying through gummi space again.

--

Landing in Midgar was harder than Cloud expected it to be. He hadn't been here in years. He'd moved on fairly well and found himself a new life, but the past year with Riku had brought back some memories Cloud preferred not to think about. Facing Zack's grave meant facing the past all over again, just with himself as a co-star – which, when he really thought about it, might just be more painful than the first time through. He cared about Riku and never wanted to see the boy go through something like this…

"Cloud, what's that?"

"Huh?" The blond man looked around.

"That." Riku pointed to their right, and Cloud's gaze fell that way.

It was like a tunnel of light, swirling tendrils of dark purple and soft green light. Cloud immediately understood. That was one of the energy channels King Mickey had told him about. That's right! There was one on Destiny Islands as well. It had completely slipped his mind… but it obviously wasn't causing any trouble. Neither was this one. It was rather serenely sliding back and forth and blurring before become sharp again, almost as if it was fading in and out of reality.

"That's an energy channel, one of the five that we know about."

"Okay." Riku arched a silver eyebrow. "What's it do?"

"We don't know yet. The energy channel in the mansion in Twilight Town was a gateway for Heartless, as you saw." Riku snorted and folded his arms behind his head, brow furrowed. "But this channel isn't letting anything pass through."

"So it really has no reason to be here?"

"… Maybe be not. Only, the five energy channels are placed… in a sort of… pattern of clues."

That caught Riku's attention; his cyan eyes locked on Cloud and widened. "Pattern? Where are they?"

"The pod room in the mansion, where Sora slept for a year. The World That Never Was, in the Proof of Existence." Cloud counted them off on his fingers. "The main gates of the Coliseum. This one here, near where Zack died. And there was supposed to be one on Destiny Islands, but I didn't notice one."

"So…" Riku started slowly, pausing a moment. "You guys think that these energy channels may be the key to figuring out why this is all happening?"

"Yes. That's what King Mickey believe, anyway."

"Okay… makes sense…"

"Hey. You okay?" Cloud didn't miss the way Riku's shoulders slumped.

"I'm fine… now what is _that_?"

"What?" Again, Cloud had to look the direction Riku was pointing. When he did, his mouth went dry. They had found Zack's grave.

"It… looks like an old rusted sword," said the teenager as they came closer.

"It is," said Cloud, not letting his voice betray him. "That's Zack's Buster Sword. He left it to me, just as Sora left the Kingdom Key to you." Cloud paused a moment, then reached out and gingerly touched the rusted hilt.

"So," Riku started after a moment, "if I'm just like you… Sora's just like Zack? That's his role?"

Cloud's hand tightened briefly on the worn handle. "That's right."

"But… why?"

"No one knows, Riku, but I wish we did."

--

The ride back to Radiant Garden was quiet and uncomfortable. Neither of them really knew what to say, and since leaving Zack's grave, barely five words had passed between the two of them. The warp speed did not prolong the drive, however, and not too long after leaving Midgar, the gummi ship was touching down in Radiant Garden again. Riku was the first to speak.

"Thanks, Cloud. I… yeah."

"No problem." The blond touched the teen's back gently for a moment as they both exited. Cyan eyes locked with Cloud's blues, and they both paused.

As it was, at that moment, that a frustrated and annoyed blond teenager and an equally annoyed brunet man came stomping over to the gummi garage, demanding all attention on the pair of them. Cloud and Riku just blinked at them.

"We have a situation," said Leon without preamble. After a brief pause, he said, "Someone has shown up."

Riku's eyebrows rose. "Who?"

"A jackass," Roxas growled, crossing his arms. What an interesting statement, especially coming from _Roxas_.

With a slight nod of agreement, Leon continued. "Cloud, he says he knows you."

"What?" Cloud's eyebrows rose this time.

"Says his name's Reno."

"Reno… yeah, I know him. He worked as a Turk for ShinRa." What the hell was Reno doing here?

"Well, he's demanded to see to the two of you." Leon brushed a lock of hair from his eyes as his jaw tightened visibly. "And he spent a good hour staring at Roxas all the while."

Roxas growled again, toeing a rock on the street.

"Okay… I'll go meet him," said Cloud.

"I don't like him," Roxas muttered savagely under his breath.

"He's annoying, but basically harmless." Cloud touched Riku's back again. "Let's go."

Leon led the way to the center of town where most of the new arrivals ended up. Cloud kept his eyes open for any patch of red in the sea of people, but amazingly noticed nothing. Not until…

"Hey there, Strife." All four heads swiveled. There stood Reno in all his Turk glory, from his unusually red hair to his ruffled suit down to his scuffed and dirty shoes.

"Turk," Cloud said after a beat, inclining his head semi-politely. Riku was staring openly at Reno, eyes wide and mouth slightly agape. When no one spoke, Riku cleared his throat.

"So… you're…?"

"Name's Reno," the redhead said lowly. He casually pulled a cigarette out of his pocket and held it to his lips, but instead of pulling out a lighter, he raised a finger to the end. A small flame erupted and lit the cigarette, and as Reno took his first drag, he glared at Riku.

"Got it memorized?"

_To be continued…_

**Sassy: **Oh dang! What now!? _What now!?_

shrugs I dunno. Maybe you should leave a review and I might figure it out.


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